Desk with convertible top and built-in pad



c. w. CHANCELLOR, JR 3,362,767

DESK WITH CONVERTIBLE TOP AND BUILT-IN PAD Jan. 9, 1968 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April 28, 1966 Char/es l4. Chancel/o1; J1:

INVENTOR.

.BY Auomqs United States Patent 3,362,767 DESK WITH CQNVERTIBLE TOP AND BUILT-IN PAD Charles W. (Ihanceilor, In, Midland, Tex., assignor to Chancellor Chair Company, Midland, '1 ex. Filed Apr. 28, 1966, Ser. No. 545,977 10 Claims. (Cl. 312-196) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A multilayer assembly mounted upon a desk drawer structure the initial layer of which consists of a fixedly mounted lower panel. Upon the upper surface of this panel is placed a peripheral spacer strip adjacent to the periphery of the panel. An inner spacer strip is fixed to the upper surface of the lower panel and constructed to define a retaining recess within the interior area of the lower panel. An insert panel is placed within the retaining recess and it projects above the surface of the spacer strips. A top panel having an opening therein the dimensions of which conform to those of the panel insert is placed over the panel insert and is made to rest upon the spacer strips. The resultant multilayer structure prevents lateral movement between the top and lower panel and the top panel presents a fiat writing surface with the peripheral surfaces of the top and lower panels flush with one another. The insert panel may be constructed of a material distinguishable from the top panel.

The present invention generally relates to a desk construction and more particularly to a desk with a novel top construction which may be converted from one type of desk top to another with at least certain of the arrangements including a built-in pad on the desk top.

In ofiice desks, it frequently is desirable to include a desk having a particularly top construction having a finish or appearance compatible with the decorative characteristics of the office including other furniture and the like. In order to satisfy the need for such desk, it is usually necessary that the supplier of such desk maintain a relatively large inventory or else have the customer face a considerable delay while a special desk is ordered from the factory. Both procedures are objectionable and accordingly, it is the primary object of the present invention to provide a desk structure having a novel top arrangement by virtue of which the components which form the top may be interchanged or replaced or converted so that the desk type may have the desired appearance characteristics and may also have a built-in desk pad if desired which may be of matching or contrasting color with the desk top. Srich desk tops may include various woods, wood veneers and the like and may be padded or provided with any desirable appearance characteristics. For example, the desk may have a leather cushion in all areas except for an area in the center thereof which may be considered the work area. The work area may be in the form of a built-in pad or rigid material which may be the same color as the rest of the top or contrasting in color and appearance to the rest of the top thus enabling the ofiice desk to become an integral part of the interior decorating scheme or motif for the entire office.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a desk construction having a convertible top feature which enables the supplier of such desk to provide desk with various appearance features from a relatively small inventory of such desk thus lowering his operating cost while at the same time eliminating delays in delivering a particular desk to a customer.

Still another important object of the present invention is to provide a desk construction which is relatively simple in construction, easy to incorporate into various desks and relatively inexpensive to manufacture.

These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of the desk construction of the present invention illustrating the convertible top and built-in pad incorporated therein;

FIGURE 2 is a plan view of the desk construction of FIGURE 1 with a portion of the top panel of the desk broken away illustrating the underlying construction;

FIGURE 3 is a longitudinal, vertical sectional view taken along section line 3-3 of FIGURE 2 illustrating the structural details of the desk top and built-in pad or insert;

FIGURE 4 is a transverse, sectional view taken substantially upon a plane passing along section line 44 of FIGURE 2 illustrating further structural details of the desk top;

FIGURE 5 is a perspective view illustrating another embodiment of the desk construction of the present invention; and

FIGURE 6 is an exploded perspective view of the construction of FIGURE 5 illustrating the orientation of the components thereof.

Referring now specifically to the drawings, the desk top illustrated in FIGURES 1-4 is generally designated by numeral 10 and is illustrated mounted on top of a conventional office desk 12 which may include the usual center drawer 14 over the knee hole area and two side drawer assemblies 16 although only a side drawer assembly may be employed or any other arrangement of side drawer assemblies may be employed. In fact, the particular structure of the components of the desk itself may vary and form no particular part of the present invention except that the desk will usually be more or less conventional insofar as an office desk is concerned. The desk top structure 10 includes a solid panel 18 which may be considered a lower panel in that it lies across and is secured to the lower portion of the desk in any suitable and conventional manner and generally delineates the rectangular area of the desk top 10. Around the periphery of the panel 18 on the upper surface thereof, there is provided a spacer strip 20 which may be as thick as the panel 18 or may be of less thickness. In the central portion of the panel 18, there is provided a spacer strip 22 which is generally U-shaped in configuration in that it has the ends of two legs thereof abutting against the peripheral spacer strip 20 as illustrated in FIGURE 2 with the bight portion of strip 22 being parallel to the longer dimension of the desk top and spaced from the edge thereof opposite from the back of the desk thus forming a recess or open area 24 for removably receiving an insert 26 of the same shape and configuration as the shape and configuration of the recess defined by the strip 22 and the portion of the strip 20 extending between the ends of the legs of the strip 22. As illustrated in FIGURE 3, the insert is thicker than the strips 20 and 22 and rests against the top surface of the panel 18 thus forming an upstanding peripheral side edge 28 which projects above the strip 22 and the corresponding portion of the strip 20. The thickness of the insert 26 may be substantially double the width of the strip 22 or any other suitable dimension as long as it is thicker than the strips 22 and 20.

Mounted on top of the strips 20 and 22 is a top panel 30 which has an over-all dimension substantially equal to the panel 18. The top panel 30 is provided with an enlarged open area 32 corresponding in shape and size to the insert 26 so that the opening 32 may be telescoped downwardly over the insert 26 as illustrated in FIGURE 3 when the top panel 39 rests against the strips and 22. Thus, when the structure of the desk is completed, the top surface thereof will be substantially flush throughout its surface area. The insert 26 will be in the area that a desk pad would normally be positioned thus forming a built-in pad in that the insert may be constructed of any suitable material either hard or relatively soft depending upon the desires of individual persons.

By constructing the top panel 30 and the insert 26 with different appearance characteristics on the upper and lower surface thereof respectively, the appearance characteristics may be easily converted. For example, the top surface of the panel 30 designated by numeral 34 may be provided with a walnut veneer while the lower surface of the top panel 30 designated by numeral 36 may be black. Correspondingly, the upper surface of the insert panel 26 as designated by numeral 38 may also be walnut veneer while the bottom surface 40 thereof may be black. Thus, using this example, it will readily be apparent that the desk may be arranged with both walnut veneer surfaces facing upwardly to provide a walnut veneer completely across the surface of the top of the desk or both the top panel 30' and insert panel 36 may be inverted thus providing a black surface throughout the area of the desk top. This also enables the top panel 30 to be oriented with the walnut surface upwardly while the insert is oriented with the black surface upwardly and vice versa thereby enabling additional variation in the appearance characteristics of the desk top. In addition to the example mentioned, the desk top and insert may be provided with various wood finishes or other finishes such as quilted leather, vinyl plastic and the like so that the appearance characteristics of the desk may quite easily be converted by persons normally engaged in caring for oflice furniture or the like. In order to prevent any possibility of marring the surfaces of the top panel of the insert, the surfaces of the strips and the recess 24 may be provided with covering of felt material or the like or spots of felt material may be provided in the corners. While it is not necessary to have fastening devices in view of the size and other characteristics of the desk panels, if deemed appropriate, suitable detachable fastening devices may be employed if desired. For example, an edge strip could be provided along the side edges to retain all of the panels and strips in assembled relation or any other suitable means may be provided for detachably securing the panels in superimposed relation.

FIGURES 5 and 6 illustrate a modified form of the invention which is generally designated by numeral and is mounted on top of a desk 52 of similar construction to the desk 12. In this construction, there is provided a panel 54 which is generally rectangular and defines the area of the panel top. Centrally of the panel 54, there is provided a raised panel 56 having a peripheral Wall 58 defining the area thereof. The raised panel 56 may be of one-piece or unitary construction with the panel 54 or it may be a separate panel but is securely anchored to the panel 54 and may be detachably mounted thereto. In any event, it is fixed rigid with the panel 54 but may be detached therefrom and inverted if desired and the peripheral wall or upstanding edge 58 becomes stationary in relation to the panel 54. Disposed in overlying and in contacting relation with the panel 54 is a top panel 60 which may have the same external dimensions as the panel 54. Centrally disposed in the top panel 60 is an enlarged opening or recess 62 which telescopes and receives the raised panel 56 as illustrated in FIGURE 5 so that a substantially flush surface is provided for the desk top. In this construction, the panel 56 may be of rigid construction and may be of any desired material such as being black in color and provided with walnut veneer or the like. The panel 60 may be of rigid construction and provided with any suitable color characteristics but it is also contemplated that the top panel 60 be quilted leather, plastic or the like having two different color characteristics such as white on one side and black or some other color on the other side so that the top panel 64 which may be more properly described as a cushion or pad may be quite easily inverted so that a selected color may be exposed to the top surface of the desk.

In each form of the desk, the top panel is prevented from lateral sliding movement by virtue of the edge 28 of the insert panel 2.6 in FIGURES 14 and the edge 58 of the raised panel 56 in FIGURES 5 and 6. This hori- Zontal interlocking of the top panel and the underlying panel in any sense will normally serve as the only means for securing the panels together in View of the fact that the panels are relatively heavy and very little vertical forces are exerted thereon.

If desired, the desk may also have a permanent strip along the rear edge thereof of some particular color. For example, a strip a thickness of the top panel 60 may be attached to the panel 54 and the top panel 60 correspondingly reduced in width. Then an interlocking construction such a tongue and groove could be provided along the inner surface of such a strip so that the top panel which would have a corresponding interlocking structure on the corresponding edge thereof could interlock with the stationary strip to provide further means for anchoring the top panel in place. In each instance, the size characteristics of the various panels may vary if desired in order to provide multiple colored ledges or the like peripherally of the desk top. In FIGURES 5 and 6, the raised panel 56 may be stationary or it may be received in a recess in the panel 54 and be inverted when desired inasmuch as positioning in a recess would laterally lock the raised panel 56 from movement.

While the top and especially the inserts have been illustrated as being square or rectangular, it is also within the purview of the present invention that the insert or raised panels be circular or any other desired shaped. In addition, a transparent glass panel may be positioned over the top of the desk so that any possibilities of irregularities occurring between the top panels and the insert will be eliminated while still enabling the appearance characteristics of the top of the desk to be observed.

With this construction, a purchaser of a desk may in every instance have a choice of at least four color combinations with it only necessary to invert both the top panel and insert panel or only the top panel or only the insert panel. Moreover, while the panels cannot slide laterally from their position, they can be quite easily lifted and inverted for changing the decorative characteristics of the desk. The panels may have wood veneers or suitable veneer or laminated plastic coating thereon and the edges of the panel may also be provided with a laminated covering which may match either of the surfaces or may be yet a third color compatible with both of the surfaces. The panels may be of either rigid construction or may have a quilted plastic, leather or the like attached to either side of a rigid panel or the top panel itself may be of a flexible pad of pleated material having different color characteristics on the two surfaces thereof for varying the characteristics of the desk when inverted.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. In a desk construction, a top assembly comprising a lower panel, an upper panel overlying the lower panel, and interiorly constructed panel means interconnecting the lower panel and the upper panel and releasably re taining the upper panel in stable orientation in relation to the lower panel.

2. The structure as defined in claim 1 wherein said panel means includes a surface area which extends through the upper panel and is exposed from a point above the upper panel.

3. The structure as defined in claim 2 wherein said upper panel is provided with an enlarged opening spaced from the periphery thereof, said connecting panel including an upwardly extending panel conforming with the shape and configuration of the aperture through the upper panel for reception therein thus locking the upper panel from lateral movement in relation to the lower panel and forming a substantially continuous upper surface for the upper panel.

4. The structure as defined in claim 3 wherein said connecting panel is releasably connected to the lower panel and invertible for exposing either surface of the connecting panel of the top surface of the upper panel.

5. The structure as defined in claim 4 wherein said connecting panel has a peripheral wall surface, said lower panel having a spacer strip secured thereto orientated in a position to removably receive the peripheral wall of the connecting panel thus preventing lateral movement of the connecting panel in relation to the lower panel, said lower panel also having a spacer strip adjacent the peripheral thereof for supporting the periphery of the upper panel in spaced relation to the periphery of the lower panel thereby orientating the top surface of the upper panel substantially flush with the top surface of the connecting panel.

6. The structure as defined in claim 3 wherein said connecting panel is fixedly attached to the upper surface of the lower panel with the thickness of the connecting panel being substantially equal to the thickness of the upper panel thereby orientating the top surface of the upper panel substantially flush with the top surface of the connecting panel.

7. The structure as defined in claim 1 wherein said upper panel is constructed of a cushion of quilted material having distinguishable color characteristics on the two surfaces thereof thereby enabling the cushion to be inverted for changing the appearance characteristics of the desk.

8. A desk top assembly comprising a fixedly mounted lower panel, a peripheral spacer strip adjacent the periphery of the upper surface of said lower panel and being fixedly secured thereto, an inner spacer strip fixed to the upper surface of the lower panel and defining a retaining recess, said insert panel disposed in said retaining recess and substantially completely filling the retaining recess whereby lateral shifting movement of the insert panel is precluded, said insert panel projecting above the surface of the spacer strips, a top panel having an opening therein conforming and closely receiving the upper portion of the insert panel when the top panel is resting against said' spacer strips thereby supporting the top panel in a manner to prevent lateral relative movement between the top panel and the lower panel with the top surfaces of the insert panel and top panel being substantially flush and the peripheral surfaces of the top panel and lower panel being generally coincidental, the top and bottom surfaces of the top panel and the top and bottom surfaces of the insert panel having distinguishable appearance characteristics to enable inversion of either the top panel or the insert panel or both the top panel and insert panel to change and vary the appearance char acteristics of the desk top.

9. A desk top construction comprising a lower panel, a raised panel rigid with the lower panel in inwardly spaced relation to the periphery of the lower panel, a top panel overlying the lower panel and supported therefrom, said top panel having an aperture extending therethrough of a size to closely fit and telescope over the raised panel with the top surface of the raised panel and the top surface of the top panel being substantially flush, the peripheral extent of the top panel and the lower panel being substantially coincidental, the top and bottom surfaces of the top panel being of different color characteristics thereby enabling the appearance characteristics of the desk to be changed by inverting the top panel.

10. The structure as defined in claim 9 wherein said top panel is constructed of a quilted material including two panels spaced from each other by quilting material with lines of stitching interconnecting the two panels thus forming a cushion type top panel having different color characteristics in the top and bottom surfaces thereof, the top surface of said raised panel being substantially rigid to provide a writing surface in the top of the desk.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 161,502 3/1875 Gilbert 108--90 X 756,040 3/1904 Moulton 108-90 X 2,163,985 6/1939 Roberts 10890 2,624,891 1/1953 Katzoff 5280 2,903,312 9/1959 Lawless 108-62 3,125,387 3/1964 Abrahamson 312 CASMIR NUNBERG, Primary Examiner, 

